The present invention relates generally to the field of surgical instruments, particularly instruments employed in ophthalmologic surgical procedures, In preferred forms, the present invention relates to miniaturized surgical forceps which are especially well suited for ophthalmologic surgical procedures, for example.
During intraocular surgery, instruments are positioned within the anterior chamber or vitreous cavity through microscopic incisions through the eye wall. Each placement and removal of an instrument can cause damage to adjacent structures (such as retinal tear with detachment or tear of Descemet""s membrane). A goal, therefore, is to limit the number of times instruments are introduced and replaced within the eye during intraocular surgery.
It would therefore be highly desirable if a surgical instrument, especially forceps, could be provided which are particularly well suited for use during intraocular surgery that had a hollow lumen. Such an instrument would therefore allow for the delivery of materials and/or secondary instruments in concert with the forceps action and thereby decrease the need for repeated withdrawal and reinsertion of instruments and material delivery devices. For example, the actions that could be performed with such an instrument include, the infusion of intraocular liquid or gas; injection of specific fluids such as a dye or a perfluorocarbon liquid; manipulation with small picks, hooks, aspirating cannula or blunt probe, optical diagnostics and imaging by means of video fiber or other optical diagnostic fiber; cutting with a fine scalpel or laser fiber; and/or delivery of light or laser energy.
Broadly, the present invention is embodied in miniature surgical forceps formed from a lumen-defining tubular member. The hollow lumen of the miniature surgical forceps of the present invention thereby permit the actions noted immediately above to be performed in simultaneously in concert with the forceps action. That is, the safe delivery of additional instrumentation to the surgical site can be performed in concert with the actions of the microforceps tip without removing instruments through the eye wall. Thus, the forceps of the present invention have greatly improved and enhanced utility since additional instrumentation may be utilized to work with or aid in positioning of tissues with the grasp of the forceps.
According to preferred embodiments, the miniature surgical forceps of the present invention are provided with opposed longitudinal channels machined in a distal end of a tubular member so as to establish an opposed pair of forceps jaws. Most preferably, the opposed channels are formed in the distal end of the rigid tubular member by means of electrical discharge machining (EDM) techniques. Thus, according to the present invention, opposed radial channels are formed in a lengthwise extent of the distal end of a rigid tubular member by EDM techniques. The resulting opposed cross-sectionally arcuate jaw sections may be bent and/or further shaped to achieve the desired final jaw configuration.
The inner surfaces of the forceps jaws thereby established may be provided with a suitable filler material so as to establish a desired forceps surface. For example, the filler material may be a hardened material (e.g., a tungsten carbide, electroless nickel or like hardened materials) to provide structural reinforcement to the forceps jaws or may be a compliant material, such as an elastomeric (e.g., silicone rubber) type material. These materials may thus be deposited onto the forceps jaws in a manner which changes the overall shape and/or geometric configuration of the jaws and thereby engineer them to a specific surgical purpose. In addition, the filler material may be coated with a desired abrasive material (e.g., fine powders of diamond dust, aluminum oxide, tungsten carbide and the like) so as to increase the forceps jaws"" coefficient of friction.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more clear from the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof.